Shloka 28

नारायणीयमाख्यानम् (Nārāyaṇīyam Ākhyānam) — Nārada’s Return and Hymnic Consolidation

Devanagari script

ततो मन्दाकिनीतीरे क्रीडन्तो5प्सरसां गणा:

Transliteration

tato mandākinītīre krīḍanto 'psarasāṃ gaṇāḥ

Translation

ततो मन्दाकिनीतीरे क्रीडन्तोऽप्सरसां गणाः; दिव्यसौख्यलावण्यसम्पन्ना मनोहराः।

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable)

• मन्दाकिनी-तीरे: on the bank of (the river) Mandākinī
• मन्दाकिनी-तीरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक); मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• क्रीडन्तः: playing, sporting
• क्रीडन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग

• अप्सरसाम्: of the Apsarases (celestial nymphs)
• अप्सरसाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• गणाः: groups, troops
• गणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mandākinī
• Apsaras

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse evokes the presence of celestial pleasures (Apsarases at play) to highlight how attractive experiences can arise before a seeker; in a dharma-oriented context, it implicitly cautions that fascination with enjoyment can distract from steadiness, restraint, and higher aims.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a scene by the Mandākinī river where groups of Apsarases are playing, setting a vivid backdrop that often functions in epic narration as an atmosphere of enchantment or a potential test of self-control.